'Price of red diesel is putting us in the red'

'Price of red diesel is putting us in the red'Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLinsey SmithEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire rural affairs correspondentBBCHarriet White's family say the rising price of red diesel is endangering future food securityFarmers say the rising cost of red diesel is making them reconsider whether to plant future crops.Harriet White, who farms near Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, said her family was also reconsidering every penny they spend, including their young son's nursery fees.Red diesel, a cheaper fuel available to farmers for use in off-road agricultural vehicles, cost 78p per litre before the war in the Middle East, compared with £1.22 on Monday, according to the price tracking website Boiler Juice.The National Farmers Union (NFU) said it was monitoring prices, which remained "critical"."Red Diesel is putting us in the red," said White, who is predicting food shortages in the coming months and years, caused by a reduction in planting."If you are not going to get as much milling wheat, then you won't get as much bread," she explained.The price of red diesel rose to £1.38 on 10 March, following the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East on 28 February, according to Boiler Juice, which tracks prices across a network of UK suppliers. It has fallen since the US and Iran announced a ceasefire on 8 April, but remains 56% higher than before the war.White is calling on the government to help.A government spokesperson said it had extended a 5p fuel duty cut until September and red diesel continued to benefit from an 80% tax discount.But White, a mother-of-two, said her family was having to rethink household expenditure, including nursery costs, which were "going up as well".Anna Jackson says she is looking for more diversification projects to help her farmIn March, the NFU warned food prices were likely to rise because farmers were unable to absorb all of the extra costs...